1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a dental mirror, and more specifically, a double dental mirror that provides the dental practitioner with a multi-angular view of the working area and at the same time, retracts the tongue and cheeks, increasing the operative field around the working area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dental mirrors have long been used to assist dental practitioners in performing diagnostic and treatment procedures. The stereotypical dental mirror has a handle with a small mirror affixed at an angle on the end of the handle so that it can be inserted into the patient's mouth for viewing inside the patient's mouth.
When the work is performed in the frontal part of the mouth, generally any mirror will suffice. But if the work is performed in the posterior part of the mouth, or the working area is hidden from the field of view of the dental practitioner, then a mirror that provides a multi-angular viewing, or a lateral view of the working area, is required.
The prior art shows several double dental mirrors having a pair of mirrors connected back to back. Unfortunately, these types of dental mirrors do not provide the dental practitioner with the multi-angular view required when working in the back part of the mouth. Also, these types of mirrors fail to show a lateral view of the working areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,379 entitled “Diamond Surface Mirror” to Kempf shows a dental mirror having two mirrors placed side by side.
While the dental mirror of the Kempt reference may be suitable for the particular purpose to which it is addressed, it would not be as suitable for the purpose of the present invention as hereafter described.
Even if the dental mirror shown in the Kempt reference provides the user with lateral mirrors, these dental mirrors cannot be used crossing over the dental arch because of the way that they are connected, and the way that the handle is connected to the mirrors. The two mirrors are positioned at an angle, thus the reflection of one of the mirrors has to be observed by looking at the other mirror.
During oral procedures, the dental practitioner also encounters many difficulties. One of the greatest difficulties is the small working space of the oral cavity; thus, increasing the size of the operative field has been one of the major concerns of the dental practitioner.
Another difficulty is that patients have problems in keeping their tongues and cheeks from entering or obstructing the working area. Further, keeping the work surface clean and dry is very difficult.
In order to overcome these difficulties, the prior art provides devices for isolating the working area and for keeping the work area clean. But unfortunately, these devices have some disadvantages. First, to isolate the working area, the prior art devices retract the tongue of the patient by depressing the tongue. Tongue depression can be quite uncomfortable for the patient and is only a marginally effective technique since a patient's tongue can slip from beneath the depressor. Second, the devices of the prior art, in some fashion or another, obstruct the operative field in which a dental practitioner must work. Third, the prior art devices only isolate the tongue from the working area, but do not provide isolation of the cheeks from the working area or vice versa.
Thus, none of the prior art fully maximizes the size of the operative field.
There is need, therefore, for an oral device which provides an optimal size to the operative field by retracting both the tongue and the cheek adjacent to the working area, maintains a clear operative field by creating no obstructions, and enables efficient simultaneous evacuation of saliva, aerosol, and debris from the oral cavity.